Keep Her Alive

Clara

Fingers stroked my hair. I saw my father in the distance shuffling parchment on his desk. Someone hummed a soothing melody, and I listened to it. My mother held me in her arms.

“You’re going to have a little sister.”

Her fingers grasped mine and pushed them onto her swollen belly.

“We’re going to call her Elena.”

“Elena,” I burbled happily. My small hands patted my mother’s stomach, and I giggled when I felt a kick.

“You’re going to protect her and make sure that she’s loved. Even if they say terrible things about her, even if they say she’s not really your father’s. You’re going to always be there for her.”

**

I was half-asleep when I heard voices murmuring in the darkness. Someone massaged my neck, and I moaned in pain.

“Ugh, what in hells is that smell?” said a low voice. “It’s not the regular slum stench.”

“Vamp blood. You better get used to it. They’re going to be crawling out of the woodwork now.”

There was a sound of disgust. “Is that what that is? Smells like old b